Although I've written dozens of articles on political, civil and social views, I've never felt compelled to post them on my personal blog. However, after this long week of many changes for the United States and seeing endless FaceBook wars (because clearly, heated, non-verbal communication always has a way of working out) I wanted to bring up one very important issues that resonates with me: hypocrisy.
Maybe it's the ENTJ in me, but I really think this country would be better served if we rallied together to stop the ignorance rather than creating new civil wars between sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, etc. So please:
STOP WITH THE HYPOCRISY.
Stop hopping on bandwagons.
EDUCATE Yourself.
Before you get your panties (or whatever your undergarment, or lack of undergarment choice is, just so no one gets offended) in a wad over this being some rant of some white girl who could never understand what was going on, I'm tackling this from a sociological perspective.
I have full intentions on addressing each of these issues separately, in new posts, so we'll call this part 1: The Introduction.
The Precedent
This week has had involved lots of controversy, but for a moment let's take a look at the past few weeks/months.
Transgenderism
Bruce Jenner went to drastic surgical measures to transform himself into Caitlyn Jenner. He underwent these transformations because although his sex his was male, his gender was female. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, there are distinct sociological implications for each. Bruce (rather Caitlyn now) identifies more with female than with male. A few years ago, this would have been termed Gender Identity Disorder by any psychologists in the United States using the standard: Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) IV-TR. As public opinion has shifted, the newest version of the DSM-V, the now accepted term is Gender Dysphoria. Transgenderism is no longer seen through the lens as a disorder, but rather an incongruence between between what an individual experiences versus what they express. Most of society has also adopted this view. There is no longer stigma associated with transgenderism.
People went crazy when Caitlyn publicly came out. Some revered her as a hero, others as a crock.
Whichever stance you choose, please note that she is not the first nor last public figure to do so. Transgenderism is not a new concept. The first documented case in recent history points to Germany in the 1930s. The first American case was Christine Jorgensen during the 1950s. Sex reassignment on these individuals was voluntary, as they identified with opposite the opposite gender, more than their own biological one.
The LBGTQ community viewed this as a great stride towards acceptance.
Racial Identity
Rachel Dolezal claimed to be of African-American decent, but was revealed to have been born to two Caucasian parents. Again-I turn to definitions. Race is a biologically determined component of ancestry. Ethnicity, rather is a a culturally identified component. You can only have one race. You can have multiple ethnicities. Although racially Rachel may be caucasian, she ethnically identifies more with African-American.
People were outraged. She became the target of hate.
Last week Caitlyn was revered a hero for identifying as female instead of male. The following week Rachel was practically crucified because she identified with black more than white. So WHY THE HYPOCRISY?
Both are cases of "misfits". Neither individual felt as if they fit in with their societally defined group. So they re-aligned their identity; one with ethnicity, one with gender.
The Rulings
So after the last few weeks have set the precedent for all that occurred this week, it amazes me how people were in shock over each issue.
The Supreme Court ruled that same sex marriage was legal in all 50 states.
In reaction to an unfortunate hate crime in South Carolina, many states and institutions issued orders to ban the flying of the Confederate flag.
So as a country, we agreed to lower one flag and replace it with another.
WHERE IS THE CONSISTENCY?
- The 14th Amendment addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the law.
- The Due Process Clause (mentioned in both the 5th and 14th Amendments) was modeled after the Magna Carta and intends that no person shall. . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.
- The 1st Amendment protects the right of freedom of speech and explicitly states that it cannot prohibit the free exercise of it.
So the very laws that are cited for the justification of same-sex marriage, are the same laws that are cited for justification of the removal of the Confederate flag. It was NOT INTENDED to work that way. The expression, "You can't have your cake and eat it too" comes to mind.
These laws are opening up new horizons for gay and lesbian couples, which is great. That is what they are intended to do. Give equality to everyone regardless of whatever political, gender, sexual, religious or racial identification they have.
On the flip side, these laws are oppressing other individuals who should be protected under freedom of expression.
So, why the hypocrisy? One word plain and simple:
RACE
As a white, straight female I can advocate for LGBTQ rights. It does not matter whether I identify as any of those sexual orientations. Why then can't I advocate for African-Americans? Because of race. The very same reason Caitlyn is deemed a hero and Rachel is deemed a bigot.
We have created a subculture where we tip-toe and walk around on egg shells to be politically correct. Everyone is so easily offended these days it seems. Racial tension has existed in all nations since the beginning of the time. It became very apparent during the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s. Since the election of Barack Obama in 2008, racial tension has been magnified. Recent events such as the Ferguson Incident and the Charleston Church Shooting have brought this issue to a head.
These tensions have brought about unpeaceful riots and destroyed national landmarks and monuments. Property has been vandalized and spray painted with words "Black lives Matter". Do they? OF COURSE they do. ALL LIVES MATTER. However, this degradation and vandalism is only adding to the problem and not correcting it. We are all human. We are all Americans. The theory behind equality is that we all want to be represented as one thing: American. By creating a distinction between races, you are inherently a part of the problem.
Creating a division between race and sexual orientation? Illogical. This becomes a philosophical and ethical issue. Why is one demographic identifier acceptable and the other is not? Americans cannot separate the ambiguity between demographics.
It doesn't matter what your stance is on either issue, as long as it's consistent.
If you feel that same sex couples should have equal rights- then you should also believe those who are not LBGTQ are protected by those same rights.
People who oppose your views-are allowed to oppose them. That's their prerogative. But they are protected under the very same laws that allow you to freely express your own opinion.
You cannot logically praise one person for identifying with a different demographic and in turn, condemn another for doing the same, no matter what social issues is at hand.
No comments:
Post a Comment